The Null Device

New developments in practical solar power: (LA Times)

A large dish of several hundred square feet, resembling a radio telescope covered with mirrors, collects sunlight and concentrates it on a receiver above the dish. Gas inside the receiver expands as it is heated, driving an engine that runs a generator that produces the electricity. ... A computerized solar-tracking device will tell the mirror where to point. It will "wake up" in the morning, Tyner said, and point to the sun. It will follow the sun across the sky and then shut itself down at night.

The units are expected to cost between $30,000 and $40,000, not much considering they will supply electricity for 30 years with no cost for fuel. But that's still a lot of money for some regions of the country, so the Department of Energy will foot the bill for the test facilities.

There are no comments yet on ""